Ikpoza, 'Illumination' artists return in art of therapeutic value

Pure soul 4, oil/mixed media on canvas 2019, Jonathan Ikpoza.

For the third time in succession, Jonathan Ikpoza leads artists into thematic value of art, beyond the aesthetics appreciation. Themed Illumination, the series, which is swelling Lagos' yearly art calendar, has involved nearly 20 artists from across Nigeria.

 The 2019 edition entitled Illumination-3, opening tomorrow Saturday and showing till, 16, September 2019 at Terra Kulture, Victoria Island, Lagos, according to Ikpoza, is all about art in its "therapeutic and educational" values.

The current gathering features works of four artists from the previous show: Ikpoza, Francis Agemo, Raymond Wright and Soile Olayimika. Also showing are the new entrants: Edward Samuel, Banwo Adeleke, Omami-Wela Sule, Olatunde Taiwo, Ileogben Michael and Douglas Emih.

"To many, Illumination could mean light, glow, shimmering, radiance, brilliance or enlightenment," Ikpoza said in a curatorial statement. "To us, the artists, illumination has been a series of exposition into human thoughts and acts in a society." He explained how the theme "is the use of visual arts as a tool for enlightening the viewer about certain societal issues as seen and understood by the artists."

Among the works on display is 'Awake' by Ikpoza,  which he described as "Focusing On Positive Energy for a Secure Society."

Artists' statements:
"I explore the behavioral characteristics of human activity as it affects the social, cultural and economic situation in the society. My new body of works in painting and mixed media emphasize the continuous hustle to sieve out junks of impunities produced by the media through the news, social network and prints. My works focuses on the society’s needs for educational reform towards total stoppage of violence, insecurity and economic hardship which continues to ravage our society, thereby using visual aids to re-channel the human minds to empathy."
- Ikpoza.

 "Art remains as a strong contender of how we share our thoughts and ideas. Throughout history, art has survived the tidal wave of information, and remains an unpredictable source of imagination.
 "The world may not change at instant by art, but its slow and insipid spread into the active part of our brains lives to tell the tale."
 - Francis Agemo.

 "Imagination is the the foundation for exploration."
 -Emih Douglas

"Art is a unique experience. It revolves around the life of the artists and their environment. Art is life."
 -Raymond Wright.

"As an expressionist painter, who paints with palette knife, majority of my works are expressed as subjective abstract with synthetic and organic media all mixed together which is visible in most of my paintings. Palette knife is the basic tool for my painting application and expression but I combine the palette knife with painting brush to achieve realistic images."
 - Ileogben Michael.

"In early 2010, I began to experiment with mosaic tiles to create form, images and designs from nature which were mostly on commissioned."
 - Edward Samuel.

"Emotions is a supremely valid phase of humanity at its noblest. joy, anger, pain, repose, sadness, calm etc, are some of the emotions that demonstrate the vulnerability of humans to her social environment. In addition to other themes that i work on, i take special interest in the female figure for creative expression. Apart from being aesthetically appealing, the female figure is more sincere in its expression than the male figure. Society encourages the female to show her emotion, while the male is expected to be 'strong' and contain his emotions."
 - Olayimika Soile.

A mixed media by Olayimika Soile.

"As an artist, I work hard to develop paintings through my personal experiences and those that speaks to people about the beauty that exists in our communities. Mostly abstractions, they speaks philosophically about issues of life existence and those conditions that affect humanity."
 - Olatunde Taiwo David.

 "A prolific song writer, performing artiste and sculptor who is poised with experimental sculpture in the form of metal exploration, Omami-Wela is married and resident in Port Harcourt. He has to his Credit, several awards during his childhood schooling days from dignitaries like the then Gov. of Benue State, Lt. Col. Fidelis Attahiru Marker, Late Aliyu Obaje (The Allah of Igala), Newspaper Publications, Best Art Student amongst others in Lagos and Benue State and has also featured in a couple of art exhibitions with the country."
 - Omami-Wela Sule.

Excerpts from curatorial notes for Illumination - 3;
"The artists place a spotlight on the society to highlight the need to either shun certain vile or embrace others. Last year we showcased the works of ten Nigerian male and female artists from different region with special attention to how art is therapeutic and educative."